I Killed My Mother (2009)

A semi-autobiographical story about Hubert as a young homosexual at odds with his mother.

Director:

Xavier Dolan

Writers:

Xavier Dolan (screenplay), Xavier Dolan (dialogue)

Stars:

Anne Dorval, Xavier Dolan, François Arnaud

28 wins & 15 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Anne Dorval	...	Chantale Lemming
Xavier Dolan	...	Hubert Minel
François Arnaud	...	Antonin Rimbaud
Suzanne Clément	...	Julie Cloutier
Patricia Tulasne	...	Hélène Rimbaud
Niels Schneider	...	Éric
Monique Spaziani	...	Denise
Pierre Chagnon	...	Richard Minel
Justin Caron	...	Jeune Hubert
Benoît Gouin	...	Directeur du pensionnat
Johanne-Marie Tremblay	...	Enseignante au pensionnat
Hugolin Chevrette-Landesque	...	Pensionnaire agressif #1 (as Hugolin Chevrette)
Francis Ducharme	...	Pensionnaire agressif #2
Pascale Audrey	...	Professeur d'arts
Émile Mailhiot	...	Élève #1 (as Émile Mailhot)

Storyline

Teenager Hubert haughtily regards his mother with contempt, and only sees her tacky sweaters and kitsch decorations. In addition to these irritating surface details, there is also his parent's cherished mechanisms of manipulation and guilt. Confused by this love/hate relationship that obsesses him more and more each day, Hubert drifts through the mysteries of adolescence - artistic discoveries, illicit experiences, the opening-up to friendship, and ostracism. The turbulent relationship between mother and son unfolds with a compelling combination of savage fury and melting affection. The stunning, semi-autobiographical directing debut of 20-year-old actor Xavier Dolan.

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Plot Keywords:

male nudity | gay teenager | gay son | gay sex | gay relationship | 

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

Film debut of François Arnaud.

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Quotes

[subtitled version]
Julie Cloutier: "The mother of a son will never be his friend." Cocteau.
Hubert Minel: "Love thy father and mother." God.

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Crazy Credits

The 'special thanks' section of the credits begins with a thank-you to all of the extras who participated in the making of the film.

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Connections

Featured in MsMojo: Top 10 Best LGBTQ+ Coming of Age Movies (2019)

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Soundtracks

Des roses rouges pour toi maman
Written by André Hébert
Performed by André Hébert
© Les disques Mérite Ltée

User Reviews

This is a first movie? One thumb up!

J'ai tué ma mère (2009) is the first film of Xavier Dolan realized a decade ago. I lately discovered it in order to complete the filmography of this brilliant Quebec director. This film focuses on the stormy and tempestuous relationship between a son and his mother, and turns out to be an autofiction, the autobiographical part remaining undisclosed, as in any secret garden.

We distinctively perceive the characteristic atmosphere of Xavier Dolan's filmography: as an excellent habit, this dark and sensual film is based on a hyper sensitivity and a keen sense of photography. Usually, most of the characters are on edge or even disturbed. In this movie, Hubert Minel is the only one. As if, in this partially autobiographical work, Xavier Dolan wanted to assume alone the chaos emanating from this extreme mother-son relationship. In this respect, it's quite successful: he is indeed sometimes an assh*le and deeply disrespectful with his mum and one almost wants to slap him. An elegant way to publicly and solemnly ask for the forgiveness of his tender mother.

As actors, Anne Dorval, Xavier Dolan and Suzanne Clément are truly excellent. As a director, Xavier Dolan offers us a high-quality first film.

Details

Official Sites:

Rezo Films [France]

Country:

Canada

Language:

French English Latin

Release Date:

15 July 2009 (France)

Also Known As:

I Killed My Mother

Filming Locations:

Longueuil, Québec, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

CAD800,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Mifilifilms

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color Black and White (monologues)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1